The 2026 Guinness Women’s Six Nations kicks off on April 11, marking a massive year for the championship. Coming off the back of a historic 2025 Rugby World Cup, the tournament returns as the heartbeat of the women’s game. England’s Red Roses are looking to defend their crown and extend their incredible dynasty, but the rest of the field is closing the gap.
The sheer scale of England’s recent dominance is reflected in their staggering all-time tournament statistics:
- 13 consecutive Women’s Six Nations wins.
- 11 all-time Grand Slam titles.
- 1,763 total points scored in the professional era.
- 282 tries recorded across their championship history.
This edition is set to be the most-attended in history. The opener between England and Ireland at Allianz Stadium has already shattered records with over 60,000 tickets sold, surpassing the previous tournament high. From Cardiff’s Principality Stadium to Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, the world’s best players are taking over the biggest national stages in rugby.
A Championship of Firsts
The growth of the game is visible everywhere you look:
- National Stages: For the first time, Scotland will play a standalone fixture in the main bowl at Scottish Gas Murrayfield, while Ireland hosts their first standalone match at the Aviva Stadium in Round 5.
- The Pathway: 2026 sees the launch of the Six Nations Women’s U21 Series, ensuring the next generation of stars is ready to step onto the elite stage.
- Rising Attendance: With a 38% increase in overall stadium capacity this year, the atmosphere is expected to be electric across all five rounds.
Key 2026 Fixtures & Super Sunday
The tournament opens with a triple-header on Saturday, April 11, featuring France vs. Italy, England vs. Ireland, and Wales vs. Scotland.
The drama concludes on Sunday, May 17, with a high-stakes finale. The Super Sunday schedule includes:
- Wales vs. Italy (Cardiff Arms Park)
- Ireland vs. Scotland (Aviva Stadium)
- France vs. England (Stade Atlantique, Bordeaux). This is a potential title decider in front of a passionate French crowd.
As the Red Roses aim to maintain their grip on the trophy, the increased competition makes 2026 the most anticipated Championship to date.
Tickets
Watch
For fans in the UK, every match will be broadcast live on the BBC and S4C, while viewers in Ireland can follow the action on RTÉ and Virgin Media. Across the rest of Europe, France Télévisions remains the home for French supporters, with Sky Italia and TV8 providing coverage for fans in Italy. For Canadian fans, the tournament will be broadcast live on DAZN. Viewers in the US can stream every match on Peacock, while supporters in Australia and New Zealand can follow the action via Stan Sport and Sky Sport, respectively.
Check the Six Nations ‘Where to Watch‘ page for other viewing options.
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World Rugby Rankings
The latest World Rugby rankings offer a fantastic snapshot of the elite competition we are about to see in the 2026 Guinness Women’s Six Nations. With five of the top ten teams in the world hailing from the Six Nations, this tournament is essentially a high-stakes preview of the global pecking order.
England continues to sit comfortably at the top with a dominant 98.09 points, but the real story is the battle happening just below them. France remains a powerhouse in the 4th spot, while Ireland and Scotland are neck-and-neck at 5th and 6th respectively. This tiny margin between the Irish and the Scots sets the stage for a massive clash when they meet at the Aviva Stadium in the final round. Even Italy, holding strong at 9th, remains a dangerous threat to the traditional order.
The ranking table shows just how much is on the line. Every match in this Championship has the potential to shift the global standings, making it a true best-on-best showcase as these nations fight for both the trophy and world-ranking supremacy.
Schedule & Results – Guinness Women’s Six Nations
Date | Time (CST/CDT) | Team 1 | Score | Team 2 | Score |
| 4/11/26 | 6:25 AM | France | Italy | ||
| 4/11/26 | 8:25 AM | England | Ireland | ||
| 4/11/26 | 10:40 AM | Wales | Scotland | ||
| 4/18/26 | 7:30 AM | Scotland | England | ||
| 4/18/26 | 9:35 AM | Wales | France | ||
| 4/18/26 | 11:40 AM | Ireland | Italy | ||
| 4/25/26 | 8:15 AM | England | Wales | ||
| 4/25/26 | 10:30 AM | Italy | Scotland | ||
| 4/25/26 | 2:10 PM | France | Ireland | ||
| 5/9/26 | 8:00 AM | Italy | England | ||
| 5/9/26 | 10:15 AM | Scotland | France | ||
| 5/9/26 | 12:30 PM | Ireland | Wales | ||
| 5/17/26 | 6:15 AM | Wales | Italy | ||
| 5/17/26 | 8:30 AM | Ireland | Scotland | ||
| 5/17/26 | 10:45 AM | France | England |
The Utrecht Shield symbolizes the pinnacle of international women’s rugby as a linear championship.
The Launch of the Six Nations Women’s U21 Series
Building on the massive momentum of the elite game, 2026 marks the launch of the Six Nations Women’s U21 Series. This new competition evolves from the previous U20 Summer Series and is designed to bridge the gap between age-grade rugby and the senior international stage. To keep the competition accessible for emerging talent, teams can select a limited number of players up to age 23, ensuring a deeper pool of athletes gets a taste of the professional environment. In a smart scheduling move to align the pathway with the senior tournament, Round One of the U21 Series will coincide with Round Two of the Women’s Six Nations. This creates a series of high-energy double-headers in Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Galway, giving fans a unique chance to see the future stars of the game and the current legends all in one afternoon.
Schedule & Results – U21 Series
Date | Time (CST/CDT) | Team 1 | Score | Team 2 | Score |
| 4/18/26 | Scotland | England | |||
| 4/18/26 | Ireland | Italy | |||
| 4/18/26 | Wales | France | |||
| 5/2/26 | France | Scotland | |||
| 5/2/26 | England | Ireland | |||
| 5/2/26 | Italy | Wales | |||
| 5/10/26 | Scotland | Italy | |||
| 5/10/26 | Wales | Ireland | |||
| 5/10/26 | England | France |
Past Results
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